Stories
   
Your Bulletin for 1st August 2021
Final Report for  Rotary Club of Lautoka Covid 19 Response Grant
From Alacoque and Crystal
 
 
Final Report for  Rotary Club of Lautoka Covid 19 Response Grant
From Rotary E-club Greater Sydney 2020 2021
 
This is the final report for this generous grant, and it has helped over 270 families and approximate 1200 people in the Western Division of Fiji. We are sincerely thankful for the assistance of the members of the Rotary E Club of Greater Sydney.
Fiji’s first Covid 19 case was confirmed in March and the country went into lockdown March 20 2020. Fiji did not have an Unemployment Insurance/Benefit Scheme in place and almost 50 percent of the GDP and workers made up the workforce – which then had NO Jobs and NO income. It was really a panic situation and families who generally live below or on the edge of the poverty level, where faced with starvation situations, and the Government was struggling to respond to this emergency state of being, with no end in sight.
Initially thinking 3 months of border lockdown and hygiene protocols would do the trick in ridding Covid19; now has turned into 15 months of economic crisis. Now with a recent outbreak of the more contagious strain in April 2021 (after 355 days of community covid free), and rapid infection rates and deaths – the grants funds that we held back have assisted families in surviving with some dignity and assisted in creating a more peaceful, violence free country.
We started with a target group of individuals working or connected to the tourism industry, and then issued a 2nd and 3rd essentials food parcel. The first round had vegetable seeds and garden tool assistance, to motivate the concept of self-sustainability beyond aid programs. There was some investigation into building greenhouses, however, the logistics of building and monitoring we such that we decided as a club not to do this. Fiji can grow vegs without greenhouses, and we focused on immediate needs.
During this time, our members struggled with their own job losses and sustainability, and some logistical challenges with deliveries occurred. Members experimented with the best way to source and pack the food parcels – sometimes packing themselves, and other times having the supplier put the packs together for us with the items we listed.
Community partners assisted in identifying candidates, and in delivering to families (Lautoka Rate Payers, Friends of Rotary). We obtained quotes for best rates and products and worked with 2 main suppliers: Punjas family and RB Patel Group Lautoka.
The tracking was a challenge with several members keeping names and receipts and there was a change of directors; however, it has come together now with efficiency at the end.
This Rotary year has been the greatest challenge for our small club with very new members. It was one of the worst Tropical Cyclone seasons on record with the 2020/21 season bringing in 2 level 5 cyclones within 6 weeks of each other, then a TC level 1. With Covid 19 among us and travel and volunteer restrictions, we were all stretched in looking after ourselves plus responding to aid in different Islands and communities in Fiji. From clothing collection and deliveries to communities with no roofs, clothes or and food; to School Uniform drives for those children who lost all uniforms in storms, or whose parents could not afford the new uniforms for back to school; to Covid 19 24 curfews and lockdowns recently where the government was terribly slow to respond with emergency rations, particularly in the rural towns.
Proud, and exhausted we managed to grow our club from 8 to 15 members this Rotary year. We have implemented online club meetings and board meetings, held in person meetings when we could, and just all did ‘what we could, when we could’, in a safe manner.
We were able to deliver the 2020 food parcels in person, however, the to ensure safety of Members and recipients and abide by the Fiji Covid Lockdown and curfew rules, we decided to issue Food Vouchers for the final round of food and sundry aid for this project. The vouchers only allowed for food and house sundries at the RB Patel in Lautoka and the store manager was greatly helpful in confirming identification and having a signing system at the store. With the lockdown of the Lautoka Hospital in May, over 400 patients and staff were left with not enough. We tailored several of the packs to provide adult diapers and newborn baby and mom supplies with the grant funds – and so grateful for the ability to respond. Without these generous funds our club and members would not have the ability to help and feel despair.
Hundreds of photos have been taken and many posted on our Facebook, however, the confidentiality of some had to be respected. We are hoping you were able to see these posts and will share more as we distribute the final round of aid from this project.
We have attached the financial reporting summary and receipts for your records. Please ask for any clarifications and accept our apology for the late reporting. Note. Receipts in Fiji tend to fade quickly due to the ink used, so some are faint. With unexpected covid lockdowns and curfews, our members have been separated from work, computers, and documents and have not had reliable internet service etc.
There is so much more to say about the experience we have had during this Covid 19 virus pandemic and Tropical Cyclone events of 2020 and 2021 – it has been the challenge of this Presidents’ life. On behalf of our club members and our community – BULA VINAKA- THANK YOU SO MUCH. Bless you all for your generosity!
Yours in Rotary, Crystal Bouchard
President - Rotary Club of Lautoka Fiji 2020/21
For full details see in Read more
RC Lautoka / RC E-Club Greater Sydney Grant May 2020 to April 2021
RECEIVED:          
28th May 2020                   :               Donation COVID 19 E –Club of Sydney    :               $8431.40
29th May 2020                   :               Donation COVID 19 E-Sydney club            :               $8406.80             
Total                                      :                                                                                                               $16,838.20
Expenses:                           :               Total Expenses                                                                 -$16,705.29
Balance                                                :                                                                                                               $      132.91
    
Incoming Grant Funds from Rotary E Club Greater Sydney
  
Date
Detail
Amount
Notes:
28/05/2020
E G Sydney Funds
$8,431.40
 
29/05/2020
E G Sydney Funds
$8,406.80
 
 
total Grant Income
$16,838.20
 
    
Outgoing Expenses
   
27/05/2020
Punjas - Boxes
$189.90
split of 393.50
27/05/2020
Punjas - food/sundry 30 packs
$1,000.77
 
19/06/2020
Universal Gr - Logo Labels. Split
$196.75
 
06/06/2020
Punjas - food/sundry for the 30 pks
$1,239.47
 
06/06/2020
RBPatel - food/sundry for the
$368.40
 
19/06/2020
RBPatel - food/sundry for the
$329.40
 
19/06/2020
Punjas - Boxes
$179.96
 
19/06/2020
Punjas - food/sundry for 40 packs
$1,231.01
 
29/06/2020
RBPatel - food/sundry for the
$491.20
 
29/06/2020
Punjas - food/sundry for the 40 pk
$1,605.00
 
17/07/2020
Milika Marshal - Delivery Cost
$80.00
 
22/07/2020
Punjas - Boxes
$180.49
 
08/10/2020
RBPatel - food/sundry for 40 packs
$2,400.45
 
23/12/2020
RBPatel - Food/sundry split
$212.49
split of 2711
09/04/2021
RBPatel - Food/sundry for 100 pk
$7,000.00
 
 
total expense
$16,705.29
 
    
 
Balance as April 30 2021
$132.91
 
 
Details of food packs bought:
27th May 2020    :               30 packs
5th June                                :               30 packs
19th June              :               30 Packs
29th June              :               40 Packs
8th Oct                   :               40 Packs
13 April 2021       :               100 Packs/Vouchers
Total                      :               270 Packs
Thank you so very much for this generous donation to Rotary Club of Lautoka and the people of the Western Division of Fiji.
Read more...
Volcano in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
 
On May 22 a volcano in Goma, a city of 2 million in the Democratic Republic of Congo, erupted. Lava flows and earth tremors caused thousands to flee to neighbouring Rwanda and other havens. https://www.facebook.com/135002153217459/videos/293293472459849We We are happy to report that our colleague, Dr Muller Mundenga - the only Congolese emergency medicine specialist in Goma - is safe and has re-opened his emergency department at HEAL Africa Hospital.
 
HandUp Congo has facilitated RAWCS project # 47 / 2015-16  “Building a Healthy Congo” which has included training at HEAL Africa Hospital by Sydney-based emergency medicine specialist Dr Vera Sistenich. Vera leads the Building a Healthy Congo initiative and works closely with Dr Muller to mentor the medical community in the DRC about what is a new discipline in that nation of 90 million people. Vera served as a catalyst to found the DRC Emergency Medicine Association www.amurdc.org. HandUp Congo is a project partner and helps develop continuous medical education online.
 
To learn more about this initiative and how you might get involved, contact Lucy Hobgood-Brown on handupcongo@gmail.com or go to Emergency Medicine — Handup Congo.
ROMAC News
 
 
School for Life update
I
Hi Everybody,
 
Can you believe we are nearly halfway through the year already?!
 
This month, we had Primary 4 and 5 and Senior 1 return to face-to-face learning to complete their compressed 2020 academic year. We are so glad to see more of our student's happy faces back at school and to welcome our Senior 1 girls to our boarding house.
 
We are also excited to share that last month our hard-working construction team broke ground on our boys' boarding facility!
 
The team completed the girls' boarding facility in just 8 months through the pandemic, so we can't wait to share the boys' boarding progress updates with you. 
 
Here's what else we've been up to in April and May:
  • Our Primary 7 students participated in SAWA World Training, a 6 week training course that is run with the primary purpose to equip them with life skills that will help prepare them for future work;
  • Our Mbazzi High school students have moved on to stage three (the final stage!) of the Stanbic Bank National Schools Championship, a competition which aims to develop and grow students in the areas of personal finance, business and entrepreneurship;
  • Our Senior 3 girls at boarding school received their first visit from their families since they moved into the boarding house back in February. It was an emotional and joyous day enjoyed by all!
 
In Australia, we have also been very busy.
 
We held our annual Black Tie Ball on Saturday, May 15th at The Star, Sydney. It was an amazing night that raised $700,000 towards our goal of $860,000 before the end of the financial year to complete our boys' boarding facility and enable us to enroll another 320 students in our schools in August this year! We even got a little mention in the Sydney Morning Herald the next day. 
 
You may have also seen that we recently launched our Buy A Brick appeal to help raise the outstanding $160K we need to complete the construction of our boys' boarding wing. If you can chip in $28 to buy a brick it will build a brighter future for our young men.
 
As part of this special campaign, we are inviting you to our virtual event on Wednesday, June 9th to meet our inspiring Senior 3 student, Steven and our Head Teacher, Joseph. We'd love for you to register and join the conversation where you will also get to meet some of our team in Uganda and Australia! Click here to reserve your spot. 
 
 
Thank you for being part of our community.
 
Warmest wishes,
 
The School for Life Team
 
Convention 21
 
DGE Mina and her Shelter Box Trek
Larapinta Trek for ShelterBox
District Governor Nominee Mina Howard is undertaking the Larapinta Trek in July this year.
 
On this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, she will trek through the Australian outback on one of the most spectacular walking tracks in the world—the Larapinta Trail. 
From the old Alice Springs Telegraph Station to the peak of Mount Sonder, the trail stretches 223 kilometres.The track will follow Aboriginal Dreaming tracks and explore the beautiful mountains, valleys, rivers and the dramatic desert landscapes of the Red Centre. By day, the group will trek through the ochre-landscapes of the outback, witnessing the sacred sites of the Arrernte people and by night the group will camp under the stars, falling asleep to the sounds of native wildlife.
 
If you would like to Support Mina in her fund raising efforts for ShelterBox, please go to https://shelterbox-larapinta-2021.raisely.com/minahoward. (click, copy, paste)
 
District Changeover
DG David Clark and DGE Lindsay May invite you to attend the District Changeover for 2021.
The details are:
 
DATE:     SUNDAY, 4th July
VENUE:  CASTLE HILL RSL, 77 CASTLE St, CASTLE HILL.
TIME:     12.00 for 12.30 pm
DRESS:  Colourful (Bollywood)
COST:     $50 per head  (two-course lunch)
 
 
Registrations are now open. Please click on the link below:
 
                                image
 
 
What Do You Know
Diversity of Rotary International Presidents.
1918-19 John Poole  (banking) Rotary Club of Washington. D.C. USA.
 
Rotary vision: Rotarians as builders of the postwar world, through their influence and their vocations.
"Quick and complete employment is both a sword and a shield. That's why every  possible line of industrial and agricultural  activity should ring with new life. This is Rotary's opportunity."  President's Annual Message. The Rotarian. August, 1919
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